My trip to Vegas

Talk about neglect.
Not really, I just plain didn't feel like writing on my blog. Maybe I was a little burnt out? Who knows. It's been a while so here we go.
I spent the summer showing my special horse Murphy as much as possible. We did six Mini Trials and several hunter paces, took lessons and went XC schooling whenever we could. I had a blast riding him and learned to have fun on a horse I really trusted to take care of me. On Oct. 30th I took Hannah trick or treating...that night we ended up in the ER at Akron Children's Hospital. She has to have a catheter to remove urine form her bladder because she "held it" for so long that she was on full. She'd been riding her horse a lot and made herself sore....therefore it hurt to "go." Not a fun trip but at least it was nothing serious. The next day (Halloween morning) I was allowed to sleep in because the previous night turned into morning and I'd had little sleep. I ended up out in the barn around 11am and noticed one horse was missing from the herd out in the pasture. To my horror I discovered my beloved Murphy had died and was laying near the pasture gate. I was hysterical, heartbroken and feeling robbed. Later in the day we discovered he had not struggled, there were no signs of distress....my vet said it was most likely and Aneurysm that killed him. While the entire situation SUCKED, at least I knew my sweet horse had not suffered.
I had several offers from friends....but really didn't want another horse at that point. I decided to start riding Tipping again and even though she'd had most of the summer off, she behaved perfectly. Giving me some time to enjoy the ride and have peaceful alone time in the saddle. I'm sure she could sense my sadness and I was grateful to her for being so good for me.
We decided in December that we were going to breed Tipping to Dark Kestrel in the spring. So I took her off the market (of course right when I finally got some interest) and made plans for her future date.
This is where "Vegas" comes in.
Back in August I took a listing for a trainer (coincidentally the same one I bought Murphy from) for a pretty chestnut gelding he wanted to sell. He told me this horse would race until sold. I was smitten with "He's My Tuff" from the moment I saw him. I'm not a huge fan of chestnuts...even when they have as much white as he did.


But his personality was so kind and his eye was so soft. He was a fancy mover and he was a big, solid, strong looking horse. I told the trainer I thought he'd sell quickly...and I was wrong! Over the next four months I bugged the trainer weekly. Asking how "Tuff" was and if he'd had any interest. A few callers but no buyer committed. I know this trainer pretty well and I knew that if this horse didn't sell, eventually he'd give him away and I'd find out later....
So I told him if it came down to it....this horse was MINE. I wanted him for a resale project badly. I never thought I'd actually need another horse for myself...and Christmas Eve I got the call. I wasn't looking, still heartbroken over Murphy. However, there was no way I was going to say no when "Tuff" was available.
I picked him up on the 29th and brought him home. He was thinner than I has remembered, had a new-ish osselet on the right front ankle and he was sore everywhere. Poor fella. He still had the soft look in his eye and he was very people oriented though a bit shy. "Tuff" was not going to stick as a name. I asked lots of friends for suggestions and finally decided on "Vegas" for several reasons. Since I have always wanted to go there...and this fella has numbers freeze branded on his neck....it just kind of fit him. Plus, with the money I've had to spend to help get him sound I figure I probably could have had my trip to Vegas by now!
Long story short, Vegas has bad feet. The ankle was no biggie, I knew it would get better with time. The feet...well...that's been a chore. He's had abscesses in both front feet that have left him nearly crippled over the last five weeks. He's spent each day wrapped up and in his stall until more foot grew out. It finally did, both feet finally grew out enough that he was ready for shoes. Only problem, thin soles, thin hoof wall. So we decided on putting Sigafoos glue on shoes on him for one cycle. My lovely chestnut gelding is now sound and happy and finally starting some work. I'm so happy to see how fancy he is and how smart too. I am planning on just doing light riding and mostly ground work until the footing outside is good enough to ride on. He needs to have his hocks injected at some point but the pocketbook needs a breather for a while first. He'll be fine for the work I'm asking at this point. This is "Vegas" a week after arriving:

I miss Murphy badly but Vegas puts a smile on my face. He has huge shoes to fill for sure. The plan for now is to see how he does with training and then hopefully he'll take to eventing and foxhunting. If he does, he'll be the lucky one to spend his winters in Aiken with Sharon and his spring/summer here with me. He'll get more real jumping experience down south and have more refined flat sessions here. We decided to do this because I've been waiting for one of our racehorses to retire so I can keep him. I've been riding this horse since he was two (he's five now) and I adore him. If Vegas takes to what we teach him, then he can stay here...I don't really have time for two horses and this would be the ideal situation because I really don't want to sell him if I don't have to.
OKay, next topic? Hannah of course!
She's now 3yrs old and happily tells anyone that that asks. She's talking up a storm....but we can't always understand her. She loves to dance and sing and is a Dora/Diego/Team Umizoomi addict. Thankfully these shows are the same ones that have gotten her to speak up. She counts to ten in Spanish and has also learned a bit of Chinese form another show she watches. She keeps us on our toes for sure! I wouldn't trade a second of it though. She is my world.
Racing will start back up full time on the 1st. We had a fantastic year last year. I feel blessed to have such nice horses to gallop and have such good luck. Crossing my fingers that the good fortune continues for years to come.

A thing called life happened.....

It seems that life keeps me so busy I forget to update this blog....for long periods of time. I always have good intentions....
So to update:
Hannah is 2 1/2 going on 5. She's going through many bouts of the terrible twos. You never, never want to hear your mother say to you, "just wait until you have kids...." because really...that's the Mommy curse! It has been a challenge for sure....figuring out what works and what doesn't work. Hannah really is a good girl she just doesn't talk very much and I think she's gets frustrated.
She's growing up so fast and everyday she seems to learn something new. That has been the fun part about being a parent. I love to see her learn something new, retain it and master it quickly. She's at a fun, but quite tiring age!
We've had our ups and downs with racing. Several horses have retired this year including, Activator, Afleet Bay, Speed Away, Anxious and Winabull. So far they all have fond great new homes except for Speed Away. He decided to go get himself hurt the night before he was supposed to be leaving for his new home. I've been able to help several people find homes for their own horses too. That is very rewarding!
Murphy is still doing very well. He's fat and happy and makes me smile. I've shown him in four Mini Trials this year and have had two seconds a fourth and was eliminated once for missing a jump. Not his fault but we would have been second in that one too. We've done a handful of hunter paces as well and have more planned for this fall. Two more Mini Trials too. This has been the busiest show season for me and by far the most fun. I've ventured out by myself, gained lots of confidence and proven to myself that I can do well. I love my horse!!
Tipping is fat and gorgeous. FINALLY!! I'm really sad that I have not had much time to ride her. I put her on the back burned because Murphy already knew what he was doing and Tipping is still in the learning stages. Tipping is for sale as well but only if I feel 100% confident in the new home.
Sealy left for her new home in GA back in the spring. The girl who bought her adores her and Sealy is doing super! I'm soooo proud!!
Let's see....Jade is still here. Hannah loves her to bits. She still must be on a lease at all times. Somewhat of a pain but she's so good with Hannah that we deal.
I guess that's it for now. Hopefully I will make more time to update here.
Tomorrow is going to be a hard day. That is the 3yr date since Dad passed away. I still miss him so much. I think about him nearly everyday at some point.

This is how we do it....

So far this year has been very rewarding in our racing stable. This past weekend we had another win, and a 3rd last night. Tonight we have two running. One of which has run once this year and won....and the other who has run twice this year, winning one and coming in second in the other. This kind of year (so far) is what all the hard work and lack of sleep is all about. Lou and I have also proved that we can succeed together as a team. That in itself is a huge to me. I love my job, I love the horses and love having my family so close all the time....now to get Mom to move closer! lol....

Presque Isle and such

As we roll into the month of May we are a busy crew here on the farm. Lots going on and little time for much else. Lou, his mom and dad just left to take several loads of supplies up to Presque Isle. We'll eventually have 8 horses stabled there for the entire meet. I can imagine this year is going to be pretty hectic. We have 20 head which means full barn up north and full barn here on the farm.
I currently have three horses myself. All thoroughbred and all in need of being ridden. Tipping had a pretty bad puncture wound to just below her stifle. She was very lame and sore. Thankfully whatever did the damaged missed her joint and she's now healed and feeling better. I'm giving her until this coming monday and then back to work! Sealy has been on trial up at Maypine for two weeks. I was hoping she'd work out for their lesson program but I think she may end up coming home. She's doing really well for the advanced kids but the less educated riders are having a harder time. Not a surprise...I knew that and so did they...oh well...we'll see in the next few days I guess. I do have a new addition to my four legged clan. I am the proud new owner of a gorgeously yummy bay gelding named Murphy. I owned him a few years ago and just too re=ownership once again. One this time he he much more knowledgeable and that suits me just fine!
Hannah continues to absorb anything and everything she sees. She definitely has a case of "monkey see, monkey do." We've really been pushing her to talk and she's beginning to say a few more things. Now she loves to say hi and bye....and mumbles at the dog constantly.
I'm grooming her to be the next superstar female PGA champion. Her "Pop Pop" was hitting golf balls in the yard last week and she was trying her hand at it. Then while at Walmart I saw a plastic set of clubs complete with golf bag. Since that day, she has been dragging that thing back and forth to the barn. Pop Pop has been teaching her how to swing and she loves it.
Jade is doing much better now. For a while it was definitely battle of wills when trying to get her to come when called. There were several occasions when I nearly took her back to the rescue. If she were a cat, my guess is she'd be down to about 3 lives left. So now she is either tied to her run line or on a lease....unless she's in the barn, then she is allowed to run loose. Much happier owner!
I can't really think of anything else to update on so that's it!

Hello again...

It seems I keep doing the same thing. Big update and then nothing for several weeks. Talk about no motivation! Not that I'm not on my computer each day. I just don't have much to say I guess.
I've been crazy busy here recently. I started Sealy back in work on some of our warmer days. She was pleasant and agreeable. Then BAM, she trips and goes down on her nose. I didn't see it coming. Never had a chance to even TRY to stay on. We were attempting to make a new sale video. Figures. Anyway, the fall itself didn't look bad (yes...it was caught on tape) but the the landing.....oh how I had forgotten that both my horse's head and the ground are much harder as one grows older. I'm fairly sure nothing was broken but I had some good bruising to my ribs and my breast bone.

Let's see....Dh and FIL made a trip down to SC to build some run-in sheds and paddocks on the property down there. We are hoping to send several racehorses down there with my in-laws for a few months for a lay up. They were gone a little over a week. Once they came home....FIL and MIL took off to southern VA for a Penning. Home for 2 days and DH and FIL went back down to SC. I see a pattern here....seems I'm not getting any of that warm weather travel.....hahaha

The guys should be home late tonight. Us girls here will just worry about our men getting home safe in the midst of this nasty storm blowing through.

I had a buyer come and try Sealy last weekend. That didn't work out real well. Sealy was in a mood and decided to unseat the rider. Everyone was ok....except of course my nerves. I was mortified that my horse was so bad. I think she's trying to tell me something.

Hannah is getting so big! She has her own wheelbarrow now. She won't let anyone pass a stall that has a pile of poo in it without picking it up. Good girl!

My bestest friend Carie and her hubby Marty had a little girl on Oct. 29. Her name is Kadence and she's perfect.

Pics to come....but dinner calls!

Oy Vey

I can't seem to keep this blog updated regularly. What's up with that? Hmmm....how about more pictures? Mom came to visit for a few days so we decided to go get some professional pics done. It took two tries on different days to get a happy baby in the pictures...

A new picture of Tipping from today. It has been six months since her last race. I think she likes her new job.

Finally, some sad news. My old racehorse "Knight's Agenda" aka Toby has passed away. He was only 10 years old and living the life of Riley with a Mom andher daughter in VA. He fell in the pasture and broke his pelvis....leading to being put down. I'll always think of him with a smile....he was a very special horse.

New pics

I decided it was probably time for some new pictures of Hannah. Not much else to say really. Just enjoy her cuteness please!

Lots to say...

Yikes, here comes a big update folks.
First I wanted to share a pic of Tipping jumping cross country at the mini trial from a few weeks back. I LOVE this picture! She's such a cool mare.

Too bad I haven't ridden her in a week and a half! Things have been crazy busy here and I have not had any extra time at all. It really kind of blows because I had just started working Sealy again and now we are at a stand still. *sigh*

Last week Hannah and I ventured up to Presque Isle twice for races. Wednesday we watched our two year old run his first race in Maiden Special Weight (allowance). He ran second and made us all very proud.






Then we went back on Saturday to watch the other two year old in his second start...in a 100k stakes race. He ran a solid 4th only getting beat for 2nd by a total of a length. It was very exciting!

All our horses came home from Presque Isle on Saturday night. The meet up there ended and it was time to ship everybody here. Make that 16 head in the barn....ekkk. Sunday morning Big Lou and Sharon headed to KY to the Fall Yearling sale at Keeneland. Our owner wanted to buy a couple of babies because prices were down. This meant we could possibly purchase something REALLY nice at a much lesser cost than what they would normally sell for. They returned home Monday afternoon with news that we'd have two long yearlings the next afternoon.

Tuesday evening they arrived. A gorgeous, thick bay filly and a very flashy chestnut colt. We are in the process of getting to know them and discussing what they will be named. Both are beautiful and very well taken care of. Neither looks their age though. I'd like to know when people started growing them so big???

Hannah is doing well. She is growing so fast! The things she learns are just amazing.





Lou was in the wash rack the other night and handed Hannah two feed buckets. He asked her to take them to the feed room. She picked up on in each hand and walked them to the other side of the barn and set them down in the feed room. Then she came back to him to help again. This time he had a feed scoop that we use in the beet pulp barrel. She took it to the correct barrel and started scooping it out and dropping some into each horse's feed bucket. She loves to help and take things to people. The only problem I've found with this so far is that so always take the TV remote to Lou! He gets a real kick out of it!!
Tonight we were in the living room playing fetch with Jade. Hannah walked over to the window in the dining room and was pointing at the horses. Then she came out to me and was standing right in front of me (I was on the floor). She patted her hands together and then started to scream. She cried like someone hit her. Lou and I were stunned and had no clue what was going on. She kept grabbing at her right hand and crying. Turns out she got stung by a bee. We didn't figure it out until a few minutes later when it went buzzing up to the light. Poor thing! Her palm swelled instantly and I had visions of allergic reactions (I'm allergic). We put some ice on it right away and then some of my Mom's "magic cream." She seems to be okay now but I know it is sore. I thought we'd made it through the summer safely without a bee sting....and here she gets one in the house.

Last bit of new news.
We had two horses get hurt Tuesday night while turned out in their pastures. One of our neighbors can't seem to keep her own horses in her own fences. Not that she's done much to fix those fences.....anyway her horses seemed to have had a party down in our yard overnight. One of the horses that got hurt because of this party is a racehorses who was going to get back into training in the next few days. He's been on a break all summer without incident. Well tuesday night he got caught up in our fence and cut his hock right down to the bone. The wound was such a mess that it could not be sewn. So this means 4-6 months of wound care and wrapping. He will not be able to go back into training for at least that amount of time. That is....if there are no injuries to the joint or joint capsule. We won't know that for another week or so when we do x-rays. If that is the case the horse will never run again. This is the injury right after I cleaned it up:

Please cross your fingers that this heals up well. This horse was a 20k claim for our owner and he has only run one time for us. It would be a shame to have to retire him permanently.

Due to the same neighbor and her horses, a second horse was injured that night. This one was in a completely different turn out area. He is my MIL's foxhunter and a super cool horse. His injury is less severe than the first horse but still nasty. He looks like someone took a filet knife to his back shin.

This pic is before I cleaned him up and it's a bit dark but you can get the jist without all the gorry details. He now has two rows of stitches in hopes of reattaching the 5 inch flap of skin that was hanging off. The vet was not real sure that it would work because these types of wounds tend to have to also heal open....meaning that flap usually dies off.
Either way he should be fine once it heals. But again...lots of shots of antibiotics and pain killers for both horses. Lots of wrapping and care too. I think we have all just about had enough of our neighbors. Why do people even own horses that can't take care of them properly? Why do WE have to be the ones that suffer for it? It just makes no sense! After we told this woman what happened she said how sorry she was and that she'd pay our bills....but not now cuz she has no money. Hmmmm....I won't hold my breath.

Sooooo....I thought I was supposed to have my appointment with the hand specialist today. I had the dates wrong and actually do not go until the 8th. I'm glad I've had a little break form galloping the last few days (lots of rain and cold) because my hands and wrists have been feeling a little better. I imagine once I get back to riding more though....it will return. I'm not really looking forward to the doctor visit because I think everyone and their family have told me how much cortizone hurts but on the other side....I'd like to be feeling better....yesterday thanks.
Ahhh well....I better end this novel soon....night all!

My Pretty Pony

Here are some shots of Tipping and I in our dressage test from last sunday. Thanks to Kim for taking them!
I love this mare! She's wicked cool to ride. Just needs some confidence jumping. We have a hunter pace this Sunday so we'll get some more practice!

Ouch

I've been having a bit of pain in my hands and wrists for a few months now. It has gotten worse in the last 3 weeks though. Pains that shoot up to my elbows, weakness with grip, a bit uncoordinated....MIL says this is carpal Tunnel. Oh joy! SO I've done a bit of reading on it and decided to start wearing braces at night and my magnet wrap during the day. I think I'm going to have to go to braces during the day as well though. I didn't really want to because it definitely limits the things I can do physically.

In other news I had a horse show yesterday. I took Tipping to South farm for an unrecognized horse trial. It was the first one for her and I think she did well. Her dressage score was really good for a first time. She scored a 33 and was sitting 3rd. Three refusals in stadium eliminated us from being scored. Bummer! The course was maxed and very colorful. She gave me a big, "not today Mom" and that was that. We did complete our cross country course though. One refusal at the second fence on course and then she attacked the rest of the jumps. I think it was definitely a good learning experience.

Hannah has yet to start talking to us. She does let us know in her ways what she wants and doesn't want. She makes me laugh constantly. I just love being a Mom....maybe I will retract that statement at some point but for now it's pretty cool.

My friend Laura was supposed to be induced today. I've been wondering how she's doing and if that baby has arrived yet. Hopefully all is well!

We've had a few races recently. My favorite horse in the barn, For Pete's Sake won his first race last week. We had a couple of seconds and thirds as well.

I guess that's it!

Winna Winna Chicken Dinna!

John's Burger won a starter allowance race last night! He's the same horse who ran second in a stakes race on West Virginia Derby Day. Very exciting race! He sat back in 5th most of the race and let the few ahead of him duel it out. Then turning for home he made his move. Switched leads and shot off to the front! He won by 1 1/2 lengths. Ahhhh....so nice! Not only that, he's a pretty cool horse to be around which makes it all a bit more sweet.

Thanks Dad.

Today we ventured out to try our hand at a Hunter Pace. While I've been on several....some have gone really well and some really bad.....this was a first for Tipping. She is very green and this was our second time riding off the farm. Sharon came with her gelding, Rusty who is a paint/TB cross. Telese also came with her -fresh of the track - gelding Jack. This was also his first time. The weather was promising rain and the temps dropped to 65 with dark clouds and lots of wind. We were hoping to be done before the skies opened up on us!
So off we went onto a very muddy course. We started out in the ring and hopped over a couple of cross rails that were numbered at the beginning (in our division you can jump whatever jumps you feel like but do not have to jump anything if you don't want to). Off around the field and through a water complex....then down an electric line trail to the woods. MUD, MUD, MUD everywhere! This was something Tipping didn't like. She's not really into unstable footing so she had to get over it pretty quickly today. We had a rather steep and slippery hill to go down, then drop into a shin high muddy creek and back up a slippery incline. She didn't want to go at first but eventually decided it was better to go than stay there alone. We jumped several small coops and logs along the way. She was absolutely wonderful. We did a lot of walking due to the footing and figured we didn't place well on time since there were about 13 other teams.
Turns out we were wrong. We won!
We were about a minute off the optimum time and had no clue about it! I have to think that Dad had something to do with it. He always joked that I was going to school to learn how to shovel shit....and I guess that's kinda what I do.....but I also know he loved the fact that I loved what I did. I think had we not had such a fun day today I would have been dwelling on the fact that I miss him so much and might have blamed my mood on a bad ride.
For anyone who is reading and who does not know what I'm talking about....today marks 2 years since my Dad passed away. I miss him so much and think about him nearly everyday.
So thanks Dad for allowing me to have so much fun on "your" day. I guess it doesn't really surprise me though, you always put everyone else first. Love you forever...

Sweet smell of success!

Lou, Hannah and I drove up to Presque Isle yesterday to watch one of our horses run. He's a two year old we partly own and was making his very first start. The trip was well worth it. After months of training and getting ready, Midnight Medic won his Maiden Allowance race by 5 lengths! He broke sharp, went to the lead and never looked back. This was the first time that Hannah got to be in a win picture as well. Very exciting!

This weekend (sunday) I'll be taking Tipping to a hunter pace. This pace will give me an idea of how she'll be to ride cross country. I've already sent in my entry for a Mini Trial at South Farm on the 13th so I'm hoping she's a good girl!

Partly sunny skies with lots of thunder?

We are having a pretty loud thunderstorm. Big booms, power went out for a few minutes. Some lightening....and no rain. Hmmmm the sun is shining too. Very odd. Hannah and I went to lunch at Pizza Hut with Gammy. They have some really yummy pastas and so crazy pizzas! Then off to Walmart, Tractor Supply and Giant Eagle. Gammy walked Hannah Around Walmart instead of me pushing her in the cart. She had several people giggling at her silliness. She thought it was pretty cool to walk around the store like a big girl.

Last night during bathtime Hannah showed me that not only does she know where to find her: Toes, feet, eyes, ears, nose, mouth and bellybutton.....but she also knows her teeth, tongue, arms, knees and her butt.....the butt being the funniest thing she could possibly point out!

Back in the show ring!

After about 10 years I stepped back into the hunter ring this past weekend. I had a goal of taking Tipping to her first show to see how she'd handle the idea of all of it. I started her retraining a little over a month ago but did have some breaks due to mega amounts of rain. It's mostly been flatwork, getting ready for some dressage shows this fall. Of course I couldn't help myself though and started messing around with some ground poles and small cross rails last week. She was soooo good that I convinced myself we need to enter in some jumping classes as well. So Friday night I was in the barn until midnight braiding Tip's mane and making her spotless and shiny, packing up the trailer and getting all my clothes in order. Up bright and early at 5:30am....feed the racehorses and bring in the riding horses and then off we went. I was in the second division so I knew I had to be there early enough to let her see everything that was going on. The show started at 8:30am. Of course as it happened my class didn't run until 11:30......ugh, could have slept in a little bit longer than that. It was mega hot but Miss Tipping was an absolute saint. I couldn't be more happy with her behavior. We had never cantered a jump, let alone done a course. So I bit the bullet and she completely cruised around the ring! Happy dance, happy dance! I HAD FUN!! Yeah they were baby jumps but it was a proud moment for sure! We ended up with a 4th and 5th in the jumping classes and a 5Th and 1st in our flat classes. So the plan is to try a hunter pace on the 30th at the same farm. Maybe we will pop over a few cross country jumps as well.

Hannah is all better now form her bout with Roseola. Poor baby had a rough week. Lou and I are still hassled by a nagging cough but for the most part we are on the mend.

Jade is learning to be a good puppy. She comes when called now and keeps tabs on where I am when we are working outside. Tonight she was allowed to stay out of her crate when we went to dinner at Lou's Aunt's house. She's trustworthy with the whole potty thing now too. She still does silly puppy things (like barking madly at the horses or getting up on Lou's chair) but she seems to be getting better each day.

Sealy is still hanging out in the pasture. Theresa attempted to ride her for a new sale video but the ground was so wet she wasn't able to do a whole lot of jumping. Plus the air fern wasn't real fit so she got pooped out pretty quickly. Someday she'll find her soul-mate and will have a new home. I just don't have the time or energy to devote to her.

I can't remember if I posted about the tall, skinny gelding I am boarding for a friend or not. I bought him cheap and sold him to a friend (who will train him and sell him as a show horse) a while ago. He was a bag of bones when he came here a month ago. It has been a slow process getting him fattened up. Much slower in fact than I had ever expected. He was just THAT skinny, poor guy. Anyway, he's been named "Amos" and will head to GA soon so he can start his new career.

Hmmmmm....I think that's everything for now. Had a few good races and a few not-so-good races since my last post. It's been super hot and humid here which makes training uncomfortable. I'd like to see the milder temps come back that we had for the better part of the summer. I can totally deal with that! Walking outside and sweating just standing there just isn't my idea of fun!

It's "snot" all that fun

Been sick since monday....the usual starting with a sore throat, then congestion and cough. General feeling like you've been hit by a train. The bad germies originally started with MIL and then Hannah for the runny nose, then me and now hubby has it. Yay....who wants the hot potato next? I started antibiotic the other day because 9 times out of 10 I end up with a sinus infection that lasts for two weeks.
Last night I took Hannah to the ER at Akron Childrens. Her temp was 104.5 and she was miserable. Apparently the doctor on call for my regular pediatrian coulnd't be bothered with helping me out much. Maybe I was disturbing her dinner but she didn't feel Hannah really needed to be seen. WTF????? Really? I asked her for the number for the ER and her reply was, "Well I don't carry around a phone book!" What a B*tch. I mean....are all on call Doc really that ticked off that they have to be on call? SHe was useless....and I'm planning on telling Hannah's regular doctor about it.
Anyway, Akron was really nice. We were there for two hours. They gave her Tylenol (which I'd given her and didn't work) and then monitored her temp. Poor baby was glued to my shoulder most of the time. We left with a temp of 102 and instructions to alternate the Tylenol with Motrin and go see her regular Doc this morning. They open at 9am and I'm sure will be just delighted to have to squeeze us in last minute on a friday morning....
I'm wondering why people get into this field if they don't like to see patients? Helping children stay healthy is what it is about right?

Aside from that, I've had sleepless nights last night and the night before. Up till 3am and then up every hour. Not good when you are sick. I'm hoping for a good nap today.
Well, I guess I should go get ready in case they can fit Hannah in first thing....it's a 40 minute drive....stay healthy everyone!

Anyone else want a hug?

Hannah was in a lovey mood yesterday and everyone, including Tipping got hugs and kisses.....


In other news....I've acquired a rather tall thoroughbred gelding. I purchased him last saturday and resold him to a friend.....but he's staying here for a few weeks for some TLC. Poor guy was not getting any feed and with his size he needed it badly. So far he's been nothing short of mannerly and sweet. His racing name is "Classic Fun" but we have yet to think of a suitable barn name. Hopefully I can fatten him up a bit and send him on his way to his new home in GA.

Catching up

A lot has been going on here. We've been so busy that by the time I plan on updating I decide to take that nap with Hannah instead. Haha! Anyway, she's sleeping now so I thought I'd do a little catching up. We've had several races up at Presque Isle recently. One thing or another has gone wrong and we've had some pretty dismal attempts up there. Had a third here at MNR the other night with Activator. The winner won by 15 or so and no one was going to catch him. This week we have Juju and Speedy running up at PI. I have some video of me working Speedy up our hill but have not figured out the software for the new camera enough to convert the files to mpegs. Once I get it all figured out I'll share it though!
Saturday is a BIG day. First one of my good friends is getting married. Leann was one of my bridesmaids and I can't wait to see her on her big day. Second it is West Virginia Derby Day and of course....we are entering a horse for a 125k stake race that day. Kentucky Derby winner "Mine That Bird" is running on the WV Derby and arrived down at Mountaineer a few nights ago. He's been all the buzz around the track. The horse we are running is John's Burger. Hopefully he'll get a piece of the winnings. That sure would be nice!
My In-laws have been traveling back and forth up to PI along with hubby taking horses back and forth for races and workouts. It's been a bit hectic around here.
Hannah is doing great. She loves her trips to the barn twice a day and definitely keeps me on my toes.
Jade has finally been let off her leash for some test runs back and forth to the barn. Other than being distracted by birds or bugs she's been listening really well (hear me knocking on wood).
Let's see....oh I have a new project horse! I bought him and resold him in the same day. His name is "Classic Fun" and we are having a hard time figuring out a clever barn name for him. He's 4 years old and nearly 17.1 hands tall. He's a skinny bag of bones right now so he's going to stay here on the farm for 2-3 weeks to get fattened up before making the trip down to GA to his new home. I'm really smitten with him. He's ten miles tall but very gentle and sweet. Poor guy, I feel so sorry for him.
I guess that's it really. I'm still trying to get Sealy back in shape and trying to sell her...Tipping jumped her first jumps today and did really well. I'm really excited about her.
Anyway, enjoy the gorgeous weather while it lasts!

Tipping

I didn't get a chance to update on Tipping before leaving on vacation. She's doing really well so far. Gaining weight finally and working softly under saddle. I'm hoping to take her to a local hunter show on August 15th and then a Hunter Pace at the same farm on the 30th. Then an unrated dressage show in early september. Crossing my fingers she is sane and quiet off the farm. So far she's been pleasant and smart to ride so we'll see how well she progresses.

Vacation

I guess I should catch up and share how our vacation went. I've been so busy here since we got home that by evening I don't feel like typing much of anything.
Lou, Hannah and I left on the 10th and headed to Mom's house. We met up with my brother and his family as well and headed out for the beach saturday afternoon. Lou and I ended up in the ghetto of Richmond somehow and made the 3 hour trip into 4 and a half. Mathews, VA is small but very nice.



We were in a house right in our own private area of beach along the bay. Lou and Paul did a lot of fishing together while the kids played in the sand making castles and forts.



Hannah seemed to really enjoy the beach and loved floating on the ripples of tiny waves that came in. Mom and I had a nice time in town on sunday morning. We took Hannah and went shopping and had a really, really good lunch. Then it was off to find where we could buy a bushel of blue crabs. The guys set crab pots out in the water and did catch a few but I think they were mostly females. So the next day Mom and I went and got the crabs and we all feisted for several days. YUUUUMMMMMMM. I've been waiting to chow down on those suckers for several years now.
One of the nights we had a fun game of pictionary and the girls won. Monday night Paul hooked a rather large "fish" as we had thought until closer observations showed it was a stingray! The guys got a real kick out of that catch and even the neighbors came down to check it out.



It was a good time! One tuesday Paul and his family went to Colonial Williamsburg while, Mom, Lou, Hannah and I went to a park in Gloucester and rented a John boat to go out on the lake. Hannah got really upset because she wanted to go IN the water....not ON the water.



Tuesday night we headed back to Mom's house for an overnight stay and back to Ohio wednesday morning.
I also got to visit with my friend Laura and her hubby while we were in Mathews. They came out to the house and stayed for dinner. It has been about 4 years since I've seen her so it was nice to catch up.



I needed a vacation to recover from my vacation by the time we got home. I'm sure my brother and his family are far more tired though after traveling to and from Colorado.
It was nice to have the whole family together. This was the first time Hannah had met her Cousins, Aunt and Uncle.
Thanks again to Mom for making this visit possible. We had a great time!